Firefighter harness

ABSTRACT

A firefighter harness can be worn as a belt. If a situation arises that leg loops are desired, the firefighter harness includes a front pouch that can be ripped open to release the leg loops. The leg loops may each be fastened around the appropriate leg and clipped together via standard quick- connect buckles.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/322,758, filed Apr. 9, 2010 entitled “FIREFIGHTERHARNESS,” which application is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to firefighting equipment andmore particularly to firefighter safety equipment.

BACKGROUND

In some instances, firefighters use safety equipment such as afirefighter harness. In some cases, firefighter harnesses may bedifficult to put on, uncomfortable to wear and do not include thefeatures useful in rescuing an unconscious firefighter.

SUMMARY

The disclosure pertains to a firefighter harness that is very easy toput on and comfortable to wear. In some embodiments, the firefighterharness is worn as a belt that can be put on simply by clipping abuckle. In some embodiments, the firefighter harness is a step-throughharness. In either case, if a situation arises that leg loops aredesired, the firefighter harness includes a front pouch that can beripped open to release the leg loops. The leg loops may each be fastenedaround the appropriate leg and clipped together via standardquick-connect buckles. In some embodiments the front pouch may be openedand the leg loops may be released and connected in a short period oftime, in some cases in less than about ten seconds.

It will be appreciated that since in some embodiments the firefighterharness is put on as a belt, it is easy to attach the firefighterharness to an unconscious firefighter or civilian. The belt may be laidout on the ground, perpendicular to the victim and at the victim's waistlevel. The victim may be rolled onto the belt and the buckle maysecured. Subsequently, the front pouch may be opened and the leg loopsmay be released from the pouch and secured around each of the victim'slegs. In some embodiments, if the firefighter harness is configured as astep-through harness, the harness may be secured about the wearer'swaist by snugging up one or more quick adjustment mechanisms prior toopening the front pouch and releasing the leg loops.

In some embodiments, the firefighter harness may be pre-rigged with acontrolled descent system. The pouch holding the leg loops may bedesigned such that a front attachment loop of the firefighter harnessmay be easily accessible. As a result, in some cases, the controlleddescent system, if included, may be attached to the front attachmentloop before the leg loops are released and connected. Other travelrestraint equipment may also be attached to the front attachment loopwithout having the leg loops released and connected.

In some embodiments, the firefighter harness may be equipped withwebbing loops that can be used as haul loops and/or as accessory gearloops. If used as haul loops, the webbing loops may be large enough andpositioned appropriately to permit a rescuer to grab one or both of theloops and pull an unconscious firefighter to safety. If used asaccessory gear loops, the webbing loops may, for example, be sized toslip an axe handle through. In some cases, the webbing loops may berated for as much as 5000 pounds.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description, which shows and describesillustrative embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings anddetailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature andnot restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides a front view of an illustrative firefighter harnessprior to deployment.

FIG. 2 provides a rear view of the firefighter harness of FIG. 1, shownprior to deployment.

FIG. 3 provides a front view of the firefighter harness of FIG. 1, shownafter deployment.

FIG. 4 provides a rear view of the firefighter harness of FIG. 1, shownafter deployment.

FIG. 5 provides a front view of an illustrative firefighter harnessprior to deployment.

FIG. 6 provides a disassembled front view of the firefighter harness ofFIG. 5, shown after deployment.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, isnot to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. Onthe contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the inventionas defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure pertains to a firefighter harness that can be worn as abelt. If a situation arises that leg loops are desired, the firefighterharness includes a front pouch that can be ripped open to release theleg loops. The leg loops may each be fastened around the appropriate legand clipped together via standard quick-connect buckles.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative firefighter harness 10 shown deployed on amannequin. The firefighter harness 10 includes a webbed belt 12 and afront pouch 14 that may extend at least partially about a front portionof the webbed belt 12. In some embodiments, the front pouch 14 mayinclude a front flap 16 that may be secured to the front pouch 14 toform a compartment in which the leg loops may be stored.

The front pouch flap 16 may be releasably secured to the front pouch 14using any desired fastening method. In some embodiments, the front pouch14 may be held closed via hook-and-loop fasteners more commonly known asVELCRO®. In some embodiments, as illustrated, the front pouch 14 mayinclude a webbed access loop 18 that is secured to the front flap 16 andthat provides purchase to the individual wearing the firefighter harness10 (or the individual securing the firefighter harness 10 to anunconscious victim) so that they can open the front flap 16.

In some embodiments, as illustrated, the front pouch 14 includes anaperture 20 that is sized and positioned to permit a front attachmentloop 22 to extend through the aperture 20. This permits the frontattachment loop 22, which is secured to the webbed belt 12, to beaccessible regardless of whether the front flap 16 on the front pouch 14is opened or closed. As noted above, this permits easy attachment ofadditional safety equipment such as a controlled descent system (notillustrated).

In some embodiments, as illustrated, the firefighter harness 10 mayinclude additional connections points for other equipment. In somecases, the firefighter harness 10 may include a webbed loop 24 disposedon the wearer's right side of the firefighter harness 10 as well as awebbed loop 26 disposed on the wearer's left side. The firefighterharness 10 may also include metal loops 28 and 30, which may be used forattaching other equipment. The webbed loops 24 and 26 may be used eitheras haul loops or as accessory gear loops, as desired. In someembodiments, the webbed loops 24 and 26 may be large enough to permit agloved hand to grasp the loops, but not so large that they can easilysnag on protrusions.

In some cases, the webbed loops 24 and 26 may each independently have alength that is between about 2.5 inches and about 8 inches. In somecases, the webbed loops 24 and 26 may each independently have a lengththat is between about 3.5 inches and about 6 inches. In some cases, thewebbed loops 24 and 26 may each independently have a length that isbetween about 4 and about 5 inches.

In some embodiments, the webbed loops 24 and 26 may extend outwardlyfrom the webbed belt 12 so that a gloved hand can slip between the loopsand the webbed belt 12. In some cases, the extension of each of thewebbed loops 24 and 26 may be between about 0.5 inches and about 4inches. In some cases, the extension of each of the webbed loops 24 and26 may be between about 1 inch and about 3 inches. In some cases, theextension of each of the webbed loops 24 and 26 may be between about 1.5inches and about 2 inches.

FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the firefighter harness 10. In FIG. 2,several additional features are visible. It can be seen that the webbedbelt 12 includes a clippable buckle 32 that the wearer can use to easilyattach or remove the firefighter harness 10. The webbed belt 12 alsoincludes an adjustment region 34 that can be used to size the webbedbelt 12 in accordance with the wearer's waistline. In some embodiments,the adjustment region 34 may be releasably secured (and thus adjustable)to the webbed belt 12 via hook-and-loop fasteners such as thosecommercially available under the VELCRO® name. In some embodiments, thewebbed belt 12 may also include a third webbed loop 36.

FIG. 3 shows a front view while FIG. 4 shows a rear view of thefirefighter harness 10, shown in a deployed configuration in which theleg loops have been released from the front pouch 12 and secured aboutthe mannequin's legs. In particular, a leg loop 38 has been securedabout the mannequin's right leg while a leg loop 40 has been securedabout the mannequin's left leg. It can be seen that the leg loop 38 hasa single attachment point 39 to the webbed belt 12 while the leg loop 40has a single attachment point 41 to the webbed belt 12. This permits theleg loops 38 and 40 to be stored within the front pouch 14 and deployedwhen desired.

The leg loop 38 includes a longer portion 42 that extends from theattachment point 39 and wraps around the mannequin's right leg on theoutside of the leg. A shorter portion 44 extends partially around on theinside of the leg and meets the longer portion 42. A quick-connectbuckle 46 secures the longer portion 42 to the shorter portion 44.Similarly, the leg loop 40 includes a longer portion 48 that extendsfrom the attachment point 41 and wraps around the mannequin's left legon the outside of the leg. A shorter portion 50 extends partially aroundon the inside of the leg and meets the longer portion 48. Aquick-connect buckle 52 secures the longer portion 48 to the shorterportion 50. The longer portion 42 (of leg loop 38) and the longerportion 48 (of leg loop 40) can be seen in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative firefighter harness 100. The firefighterharness 100 includes a webbed belt 112 and a front pouch 114 that mayextend at least partially about a front portion of the webbed belt 112.In some embodiments, the front pouch 114 may include a front flap 116that may be secured to the front pouch 114 to form a compartment inwhich the leg loops may be stored.

The front pouch flap 116 may be releasably secured to the front pouch114 using any desired fastening method. In some embodiments, the frontpouch 114 may be held closed via hook-and-loop fasteners more commonlyknown as VELCRO®. In some embodiments, as illustrated, the front pouch114 may include a webbed access loop 118 that is secured to the frontflap 116 and that provides purchase to the individual wearing thefirefighter harness 100 so that they can open the front flap 116.

In some embodiments, as illustrated, the front pouch 114 includes anaperture 120 that is sized and positioned to permit a front attachmentloop 122 to extend through the aperture 120. This permits the frontattachment loop 122, which is secured to the webbed belt 112, to beaccessible regardless of whether the front flap 116 on the front pouch114 is opened or closed. As noted above, this permits easy attachment ofadditional safety equipment such as a controlled descent system (notillustrated).

In some embodiments, as illustrated, the firefighter harness 100 mayinclude additional connections points for other equipment. In somecases, the firefighter harness 100 may include a webbed loop 124disposed on one side of the firefighter harness 100 as well as a webbedloop 126 disposed on an opposing side of the firefighter harness 100.The firefighter harness 100 may also include metal loops 128 and 130,which may be used for attaching other equipment. The webbed loops 124and 126 may be used either as haul loops or as accessory gear loops, asdesired. In some embodiments, the webbed loops 124 and 126 may be largeenough to permit a gloved hand to grasp the loops, but not so large thatthey can easily snag on protrusions. In some embodiments, the webbedbelt 112 may also include a third webbed loop 136.

In some cases, the webbed loops 124 and 126 may each independently havea length that is between about 2.5 inches and about 8 inches. In somecases, the webbed loops 124 and 126 may each independently have a lengththat is between about 3.5 inches and about 6 inches. In some cases, thewebbed loops 124 and 126 may each independently have a length that isbetween about 4 and about 5 inches.

In some embodiments, the webbed loops 124 and 126 may extend outwardlyfrom the webbed belt 112 so that a gloved hand can slip between theloops and the webbed belt 112. In some cases, the extension of each ofthe webbed loops 124 and 126 may be between about 0.5 inches and about 4inches. In some cases, the extension of each of the webbed loops 124 and126 may be between about 1 inch and about 3 inches. In some cases, theextension of each of the webbed loops 124 and 126 may be between about1.5 inches and about 2 inches.

In some embodiments, as illustrated, the firefighter harness 100includes a first quick adjustment mechanism 160 and a second quickadjustment mechanism 162. The first and second quick adjustmentmechanisms 160, 162 may be used to quickly snug up the firefighterharness 100. In some embodiments, as illustrated, a first belt 164extends through the first quick adjustment mechanism 160 and a secondbelt 166 extends through the second quick adjustment mechanism 162. Insome embodiments, a firefighter may have his or her pants tucked intotheir boots. When they receive a call, they jump into their boots andpull their pants up to their waist. The firefighter harness 100 may, forexample, be loosely secured about their pants. Once they pull up theirpants, they can tighten the firefighter harness 100 by pulling on thefirst belt 164 and the second belt 166.

FIG. 6 shows an expanded view of the firefighter harness 100, with thepouch 114 removed to better illustrate the individual components. Asillustrated, a leg loop 138 and a leg loop 140 extend from the webbedbelt 112. It can be seen that the leg loop 138 has a single attachmentpoint 139 to the webbed belt 112 while the leg loop 140 has a singleattachment point 141 to the webbed belt 112. This permits the leg loops138 and 140 to be stored within the front pouch 114 and deployed whendesired.

The leg loop 138 includes a longer portion 142 that extends from theattachment point 139 and is configured to wrap around the wearer's rightleg on the outside of the leg. A shorter portion 144 is configured toextend partially around on the inside of the leg and meets the longerportion 142. A quick-connect buckle 146 secures the longer portion 142to the shorter portion 144. Similarly, the leg loop 140 includes alonger portion 148 that extends from the attachment point 141 and isconfigured to wrap around the wearer's left leg on the outside of theleg. A shorter portion 150 is configured to extend partially around onthe inside of the leg and meets the longer portion 148. A quick-connectbuckle 152 secures the longer portion 148 to the shorter portion 150.

The firefighter harnesses 10 and 100 may be made of any desiredmaterial. In some embodiments, at least portions of the firefighterharnesses 10 and 100 are made of NYLON®. In some embodiments, at leastportions of the firefighter harnesses 10 and 100 are made of KEVLAR®.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplaryembodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intendedto embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fallwithin the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.

1. A firefighter harness comprising: a webbed belt configured toencircle a wearer's waist; a pair of leg loops secured to the webbedbelt; and a front pouch configured to releasably store the pair of legloops.
 2. The firefighter harness of claim 1, further comprising a frontattachment loop extending from the webbed belt, the front attachmentloop being configured to be accessible even when the pair of leg loopsare stored within the front pouch.
 3. The firefighter harness of claim1, further comprising webbed loops secured to the webbed belt, thewebbed loops being configured to be suitable for use either as haulloops or as gear loops.
 4. The firefighter harness of claim 1, whereinthe webbed belt is configured as a belt-style harness.
 5. Thefirefighter harness of claim 4, wherein the webbed belt comprises abuckle.
 6. The firefighter harness of claim 1, wherein the webbed beltis configured as a step-through harness.
 7. The firefighter harness ofclaim 6, wherein the webbed belt includes at least one quick adjustmentmechanism configured to allow a user to quickly cinch up the firefighterharness.
 8. A method of securing a firefighter harness having a belt anda front pouch storing a pair of leg loops, the method comprising stepsof: fastening the belt about a wearer's waist by buckling a buckleattached to the belt; opening the front pouch to release the pair of legloops; and securing each of the pair of leg loops to a leg of thewearer.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the belt is fastened about thewearer's waist by rolling the wearer onto the belt.
 10. A method ofsecuring a firefighter harness having a belt including a quickadjustment mechanism and a front pouch storing a pair of leg loops, themethod comprising steps of: disposing the belt about a wearer's waist;cinching up the belt by engaging the quick adjustment mechanism; openingthe front pouch to release the pair of leg loops; and securing each ofthe pair of leg loops to a leg of the wearer.